But Only Time Could Tell
by NeuroticSeduction
Summary: Sasuke was pronounced dead last year, but Naruto always knew it wasn't true. After being held by the Akatsuki for years, Sasuke finally returns, but will that affect the way the village treats him? And who says they won't be back for him? YAOI NaruSasu
1. Prolouge: Not Fast Enough V3

**NS: I don't own Naruto, duh. Uhm, this fic was done in parts by me and some by Seaki. Let me know how you like the prolouge and I'll soon be putting up the next three chapters, which are already typed and ready to go! **

But Only Time Could Tell

**Prologe: Not Fast Enough**

**Inspiration:** Bored?

Naruto had been waking up in the middle of the night for about two weeks now. Something was going to happen. Something. He just didn't know what.

He'd probably say it was an animalistic instinct. He moved though his house and down the stairs in time to hear a small thud. It was a familiar thud. Kunai against wood. He knew the sound all too sound well. He walked over to where he heard the sound with caution to see a shadow dash off.

Angered, he growled slightly. He started mumbling something about stupid people disturbing him at his hour of rest. That really wasn't the case. He had been up for about fifteen minutes when he heard the sound.

He looked to his door. On the inside of his house on the wooden door frame was a note. It was tacked up with a kunai. Curiously, he looked over the writting without actually reading it. He forgot his anger at he saw it was Sasuke's writing. He knew the Uchiha's handwritting well.

He thought for a second. The Uchiha survivor had been acting strange of late. He stopped making insulting comments and only lessening to a glare. He didn't speak to anyone but Kakashi and Sakura. It had upset the loud-mouthed ninja quite a bit.

Naruto finally read over the note.

It started simple. 'Naruto,'

Naruto paused in reading before continuing on. 'Please accept my apology. For ignoring you and all.' Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. Why would Sasuke send him a note to apologize?

But there was more to the note. 'I'm leaving. Don't follow me. I have to do this alone...' Naruto's heart clenched in his chest painfully and he choked on air.

That's all he needed to read. Like he would listen to the Uchiha. Naruto dashed out of his house and down the road. He moon served as his guide as it was almost full.

"Please... Don't be gone yet..." Naruto whispered to himself as he dashed to the gates of Konoha.

He was stopped there. At the gates, he wasn't allowed further. "Kid. Go back home. No Genin's allowed outside of the village without their Sensei at night," the guard said.

His heart clenched tighter as he shook.

All his fault. It was all his fault. He wasn't fast enough._ 'All my fault...'_

**NS: Hmm...this prolouge was not written by me. It was written by Seaki. The original prolouge had parts we both wrote in it, but it was lost and/or deleted, so I've gotten permission to use hers!**

Sorry for the uber-shortness of the prolouge, but the original wasn't much better.

**Feb. 12, 2007 - 3.47 AM**


	2. After The Fact V3

****

NS: This is the second version of this chapter that I'm posting. I'm just going back and fixing grammatical errors and typos. The content will remain mostly the same, though. Again, apologies for the length. Seaki and I both played parts in this chapter. It was written last summer and originally had a VERY thin plot. Gomen for that. Only recently have my fics had...any meaning, ;; lol.

OMG I DON'T OWN NARUTO! ...DUH. :)

**But Only Time Could Tell  
Series: Naruto  
Pairings: Naruto/Sasuke  
Rating: T for suggestive themes  
Warnings: Alcohol use, Extreme situations, Language  
Summary: Sasuke was pronounced dead last year, but Naruto always knew it wasn't true. After being held by the Akatsuki for years, Sasuke finally returns, but how will that affect the way the village treats him? Yaoi narusasu written awhile ago. Dual authors.  
Start Date: awhile ago...  
Finish Date: two days after I started it is all I remember...  
Inspiration: an RP I started on Neopets :sweat:**

**Chapter 1: After the Fact**

**V.3.0**

It had been five years… five very long years since Sasuke left Konoha. Things hadn't been the same. He had been pronounced dead the previous year and Naruto was still mourning.

"Why did he have to leave?" Naruto asked, sitting at the bottom of his shower. "Dammit... I could have stopped him!" he yelled over the water pounding on his skin. It washed away his tears, and it was one of the few things he was grateful for. With blond hair matted to his face, Naruto cried out for his friend. His choked sobs became lost in the echoing sound of water pelting his bare skin. He tried every day to wash his sorrows down the drain.

It was Konoha medical where nurse and medical-nin, Sakura Haruno, waved good-bye as her shift ended. The automatic doors closed behind her and she draped the plain white coat over her arm. A small smile came to her face as she remembered what it was time to for.

"Well, now that the work I get paid to do is finished, I better go see how Naruto is holding up today," Sakura headed towards the grocery store to get some things to make something for Naruto to eat other than ramen for once. She shook her head solemnly. "Oh, Naruto. I worry so much about you."

As Naruto dried his hair with a fuzzy blue towel, a knock came at his front door. He rubbed his eyes stressfully and answered the knock. The blond was greeted by Sakura's smiling face--he tried to look cheerful.

"Oy, Sakura! How nice of you to stop by!" a fake smile was plastered far across his face. She smiled and held up grocery bags.

"I thought I'd come and make us a nice dinner. How does that sound?" He shrugged.

"Alright, if you want," Truthfully, he just wanted to be alone, but he could never seem to turn Sakura away. She stepped inside and shut the door behind herself. The smell of alcohol hung in a heavy cloud all around the house. She frowned, kicking a bottle of sake to the side.

"Naruto... Why have you been drinking, again? I thought you quit." What little fake happiness he had been able to conjure up faded away quickly. He looked away, blue eyes full of longing. She shook her head and corrected herself. "Never mind. Don't answer that."

_'You don't have to. I know full well its Sasuke.'_ She thought without question. Sakura changed the subject by hustling into the kitchen and pulling out pots and knives and such. She chopped some vegetables and things up and started a stew going, then looked at the growing pile of dishes in his sink.

"I'll go ahead and do these dishes, too. Okay, Naruto?" He didn't answer. He stared blankly out the window and into the snow that had begun to fall. She sighed and started on them. It usually wasn't any use to try to get through to him. Not since they carved Sasuke's name into that rock. The funeral had been mostly empty. Many people were upset that Sasuke had left in the first place; often thinking he had gone off to join the Akatsuki with his brother. But...it was such an upsetting day. Naruto couldn't even hold his tongue.

Flashback  
  
The preacher handed the stand off to Kakashi to give the eulogy. Dressed in a suit, he cleared his throat and began.

"Uchiha Sasuke was a very promising student and a good kid. He had gone through much in his short-lived lifetime, both good and bad. But...I believe that he left us in good spirits because he had good friends to help him through whatever happened--"

"Hahaha! That's a real good speech, Kakashi-sensei! Real good! It must've taken you forever to come up with it, huh? Well, how about I come up there and tell you _all about_ the _real_ Sasuke Uchiha?" Naruto was the one who had interrupted the sermon. He was standing on his chair and hopped to where Kakashi stood, then promptly pushed him out of the way. Whispers and murmurs came from the small crowd while Sakura winced inwardly.

"Sasuke is an annoying, selfish, conceited, good-for-nothing, brat who wants nothing more but his own stinking reasons for doing whatever the hell he wants!" Naruto began his version of the eulogy, "But...he's my friend. That's right, he _is_ my friend--not was. Sasuke is not dead. You want to know why it's not an open casket!", he screamed at the people dressed in black as he popped the casket open, receiving gasps from the crowd, "Because he's not in it! Just because he isn't here right now where you can see him, doesn't mean he doesn't exist somewhere...alive. I can't believe you'd all just give up on him like that!" He turned to the casket that had only one of his outfits and a few personal belongings in it. Grinning like an idiot, he laughed.

"Ha...here's a little something from me, baka teme." Naruto kissed two fingers and ran them along Sasuke's empty shirt, then spit in the casket. Saluting the crowd, he bounded off towards his house. Murmurs arose within the people. Sakura sobbed heavily.

_'Naruto...Why do you have to be like that! We all know you just miss him...'_

End Flashback

Sakura sighed as Naruto continued to stare longingly out the window. She turned back to the dishes.

_'Oh, Sasuke...why'd you have to go?'_ Sakura rinsed a dish clean before glancing back at the blonde haired boy. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath before putting on another false smile and standing to help Sakura with the dishes. He rinsed the plates and took the pots on the stove to the sink.

"I can do the dishes Sakura! You can go home now!" Naruto said, sounding as cheerful as he could.

"Stop pretending, Naruto!" Sakura said sternly. Naruto was taken aback, and nodded looking down. He tried at least.

Things weren't working out right. After Sakura left, Naruto took another shower. He didn't like the feeling of so many hot tears rolling down his face, so he let the water from the shower wash his tears away, instead. He wanted Sasuke there. He wanted to see his face. He wanted to hear his voice, even if it was an insult. He just wanted Sasuke to be near him, and that's it. He didn't even care if Sasuke hated him.

Naruto turned off the water; it was starting to get way to cold. He slid from the shower and stood up, wrapping a dry towel around his waist. He sat down on his bed to wonder, his hair stuck to his head and water dripping unnoticed down his back.

_'What is Sasuke doing now…' _he pondered as the sun set in the window behind him.

**NS: And...there's the first chapter! R&R!**


	3. Within The Walls V2

**NS: Chapter 2! W00t! I wrote this whole chapter all by my lonesome and quite love it! It's probably one of the best chapters of anything I've ever written...if not for the damned length. **

Warnings: Language, Torture, Uchihacest

Chapter 2: Within The Walls

**V. 2.0**

* * *

Another agonizing cry was ripped from Sasuke as the whip came crashing down on his back once more. The naked skin there was covered in long, bloody wounds that stretched from one side to the other. His fists clenched tightly in shakles chained to the wall that cut into the scarred flesh of his wrists. As the black leather whip was brought up again, the Akatsuki's slave tightened his muscles, preparing for another blow. However the pain never came. Instead, the room grew quiet save for the rhythmic tapping of wooden sandals growing ever closer across the hardwood floor. 

Sasuke fell limp in his chains, sagging his waist to the floor and breathing raspily. He heard the shuffle of feet as members of the Akatsuki scrambled to get out of the way of their current leader. He tore the whip from the hands of Deidara and an icy laugh erupted from him.

"Hmp...Sasuke, Sasuke. What to do with you. Trying to run away again, are we? I suppose I'll just have to deal with your punishment myself, then." Sasuke concentrated hard on the splitting boards of the floor as blood from his back ran down around his stomach and steadily dripped onto it. He fell into a violent coughing fit and splattered more of the red, metallic liquid to layer atop the previously dispatched blood. "_And_ you're making my floor a mess? Tsk, tsk. How dreadful."

Eyes glazed over and ears ringing, Sasuke barely heard the man speak, but he recognized the voice well enough to know who it was. A vacant ghost of a smile came across his lips. Blood trickled from them and down his chin; he barely managed to speak above a whisper.

"Go to hell..._Itachi_."

Itachi's smile dissapeared quickly and he grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's hair from behind. Sasuke yelped as he head was jerked backwards.

"Learn your place, arrogant fool. I do not have time to waste on you. One more escape attempt, and the punishment _will_ be worse. In fact, it will be one I intend on distributing _myself_." With that, he let Sasuke's head fall back down, swaying as it wished. Sasuke, barely able to move, fell limp and unconscious in the binds that held him.

* * *

The enslaved Uchiha's eyes fluttered open several hours later. As a throbbing headache hit him dead on, Sasuke squeezed them shut, again, trying to return to his painless sleep, but to no avail. His hands flew to the sides of his head as he moaned in agony. _'Does the pain never end...?' _he asked himself, a pain-induced tear slipping down his cheek of its own accord. Sasuke grabbed two handfuls of his raven-colored hair and pulled, trying to focus the pain on something else. "Gahh..." a horrible sound escaped his lips. 

As he pulled himself to his knees, Sasuke whimpered. Oh, how the Akatsuki had broken Sasuke, right down to his very spirit. Exhausted and still writhing in pain, he fell against the cold steel bars.

_'How the hell did I get myself into this situation!' _Sasuke screamed at himself mentally. That was his twelveth failed escape attempt. The poor Uchiha had been held captive by the Akatsuki for nearly two years. Remembering this, he spoke.

"Tomorrow marks two years..." He chuckled lightly, "and I'm still here."

The sound of creaking echoed around the room as the metal cage door swung open slowly. A figure stood in the doorway, casting a long shadow over Sasuke. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. The only light came from a small barred window high in the corner of the wall behind the captive.

"Hello, Sasuke. I've come to say goodnight..." Itachi cooed, gliding across the room and taking Sasuke's limp face in his hands. He stared down onto his vacant look. All Sasuke could do is whimper when Itachi pulled his head up farther and pressed their lips together. His eyes fell closed as he accepted the kiss, falling limp in Itachi's arms. Laughing, Itachi pulled away and let Sasuke fall to the floor, a smug grin a his face as he left the room once more.

It was all he could do to make a protesting sound as random members of the Akatsuki bound Sasuke to a diagnol slate propped against the wall. He lay flat against his stomach, tugging at the rope binds. Everyone left the room. Everyone except for Itachi. As he crossed the poorly lit room to his captive, he rhythmically brought a wooden paddle down on his open palm. Sasuke could not see this, but he could hear it. He winced, awaiting pain, but instead, he felt something...different.

Itachi had come behind him and pressed his waist into the raven-haired boy's back. Sasuke's head rolled to the side as Itachi licked along the rim of his ear and brought kisses down his neck. Running his hands all along Sasuke stomach and sides, Sasuke moaned involuntarily. He gasped, as wind rushed to his backside. His shorts were pulled to the floor and Itachi stepped back.

"I told you I would deal with your punishment." he said as the smack of wood-to-bottom echoed through the room. Sasuke cried out.

"Ahh!" It came down again and agian. Three more times after. Then it ceased suddenly. Itachi brought the boy shorts back up and laughed.

"Keep your enemies closer." He laughed and left the room.

The Akatsuki seemed to be holding Sasuke only for their own enjoyment. That, and the fact that Itachi willed it and there were rumors going around about Itachi and his brother. Afterall, Sasuke had been there for two years with numerous escape attempts and Itachi had not yet killed him. Even stranger, Sasuke seemed to sumbit completely only to Itachi; or at least he struggled quite a bit less. Either way, Sasuke was not what you would call anyone's 'willing participant'.

If only he would allow them them their way with him and stop trying to escape, he would be in a great deal less pain. But he simply didn't seem to understand the concept. Sasuke didn't really understand his purpose either. Just that people--no, monsters--were conitnuously hurting him and confusing him. Mostly his own brother.

He also knew that everytime he woke up, he was in a great deal more pain than the last and that escaping was quite clearly out of the question.

Now, Sasuke awoke in pain once more. But this time, he wasn't in his cell like usual. His vision was blurry, but he was aware that he was deprived of clothes and very cold. All he could see was grey. Steel. He was surrounded by it.

_'Y_e_s, I see. They've put me in a steel cell instead of a wooden one._' But why was it so damn cold?

He quickly became aware of a vent pushing very cold air out onto him. He painfully scrambled away from it and curled into a tight ball, shivering.

A freezer.

'_The bastards put me in a fucking freezer.'_ Hissing, Sasuke leaned back against the steel. Soon, the cold became too much and commanded the boy to sleep as effects of hyperthermia sank in.

He woke with a start a few minutes later as the silver doors slid open. Itachi was responsible for this. Behind him stood Kisame, who held something shiny and black draped over his arms. He was smirking like a madman. Itachi reached forward and grabbed Sasuke's arm, jerking him hard out of the freezer. Naked and frozen, they half pulled, half dragged Sasuke across the room and shakled his hands and feet to the concrete wall.

Sasuke wasn't quite sure of just what was going on, but he was in pain. And he couldn't for the life of him figure out why in the hell he was chained naked to a wall. He winced as rough concrete scratched agaist his unclothed member. Struggling not to move was difficult, however, for rats that scampered across the floor stopped every now and again to nip at his toes. It seemed even the slightest unfomfortable shift terribly pained his frost-bitten skin. But, as he soon came to realize, the pains he had felt the previous two years of his life had been nothing compared to the horrible smack of a thorned whip cracking and dragging across his frozen back.

A sound erupted from his dry throat like nothing you've ever heard before. More the cry of a dying animal than the plea of a wounded human. It was a tearing, a ripping of flesh. Taking away and slinging bits across the room. No expression crossed Itachi's face. Not even a glimpse of remorse or regret was at all apparent. Though Sasuke's cries of excruciating pain did not cease, he indeed lay deep in thought. He was thinking of the night before when Itachi had come to his cell.

His eyes had looked so calm. So caring. So...loving. But now, how he beat him relentlessly. Before he lost consciousness once more, a thought came back to him. Really nothing but an orange blur that slowly turned into a grinning idiot.

_'Naruto...where are you?', _was his last conscious thought.

* * *

**NS: Yeah, yeah. Short. They all are, so nya. :P R&R!**


	4. Anniversary

NS: Awright, chapter 3 commences. I haven't written anything on this in...9 months! But..I will now! Go me!

This chapter is another one that I (mostly) edited from a year ago. But...a lot of it is new content a just added...so I guess it's about half and half -shrug- I think it's pretty good!

WARNINGS: Language, Sexual Situations, Uchihacest, Violence, Extreme Situations

Oh yeah...OMG I DON'T OWN NARUTO!...DUH. :)

Chapter 3: Anniversary

* * *

Bandaged fingers played with the hitaiate in his hands, eventually giving up and wrapping it around his head. He sighed. It was the anniversary of Sasuke's dissapearence, marking three years. He glanced around nervously and reached for a half-empty bottle of sake, then snatched his hand back quickly.

"No. Not today...not today," Naruto promised himself. He picked up a letter and shoved his wallet into his pocket, heading out. Minute whispers were exchanged between villagers as Naruto made his way through them. He shrugged it off; afterall, he didn't come out much anymore and he was used to it. Without having to pay any attention to where he was headed, Naruto found himself walking into the Yamanaka family's flower shop. Ino looked up and gave him an empathetic smile that was not returned. He headed straight to the back and grabbed the a handful of orange and black tiger-lily blossoms and brought them back to the front. It was the kind he always got; they were Sasuke's favorite, as he one day told the young blond. Ino smiled and shook her head.

"It's alright, Naruto. Just take them, okay?" He gave way to a small smile in return and nodded in appreciation.

Again, he found his way without thought or notice to anything or anyone around him. Then he was there. Barely three feet away, snugly fit into the ground, was a rounded cement block, kanji etched into the front. It read:

Uchiha Sasuke

The Last of His Legacy

His Name Left Unavenged

Naruto snorted at the inscription and knelt beside it. His naked knees pressed into the soft grass and soil before the stone. His eyebrows turned up together and a sad smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Naruto raised his hand and traced each symbol with the tip of his finger.

"Where the hell are you, Sasuke...?" He was still a firm believer that his old friend was alive somewhere. "I know you're not dead; you're too stubborn, you bastard." His voice cracked a little more with every word. Above him, hawks danced through the air, cutting through the clouds and swooping between tree branches. The sun barely peeked out from behind a fluffy white mass in the sky, casting great shadows over Naruto and his surroundings. The lightest wind blew and brought the tiniest flowers and seeds, dropping them around Naruto.

"Why did you have to do and leave me all alone? you could've at least taken me with you..." Naruto whispered and leaned his whole body forward to wrap around the rock, sanded smooth. It was cool against the hot flesh of his cheek. He took in a shuddary breath and dropped the blossoms he carried behind the marble. His arms held it tight in a crushing embrace, as if to replace his comrade who was not there to hug in its place. Tanned, weak fingers grasped and scratched at it. His mouth dropped open and released low wails of friends lost and unmentionable pains.

"Why did you leave me?! WHY?! I need you! I need you more than anything else in this world, Sasuke! You believed in me, whether other people saw it or not! I believed in your dream, too! What we had...it was...it was a bond. I need that bond, back...I need it. I need you..." Naruto bellowed that and other curses to the skies. He wasn't sure where they had come from, but it felt good for them to be released. When the wailing ceased, his mouth still hung slightly ajar and he hiccupped from incessant crying--not with his tears, but with his heart and mind. A rumbling echoed in the distance and the skies turned grey. Naruto smiled sadly.

"Looks...like rain..." And so it fell, running over his face and intermingling with a bit of warmth that joined in. He closed his eyes and let the water close in around him, drowning out his tears, erasing his fears, and repainted memories to his liking...just like the shower always did for him.

* * *

The room was spinning in circles around him. Again and again, completely unrelenting. It would slow, then stop, and then pick up speed once again and make him feel sick. For him, it was year three at the Akatsuki's hideout. Sasuke's horrifying anniversary was in effect once again.

For days he had been chained to a chair with his head forced back, water slowly dripping on his forehead that landed directly between the eyes. It was a terror known only as Chinese water torture. It was, in most aspects, a most efficient form of torture. At first, it seems nothing but annoying to the captive. But after three entire days of it, Sasuke was going insane. There was never any to acknowledge except the incessant thump, thump, thump of water he heard in the back of his mind. He had hypervenalated a few hours previous and Deidara had had to put a paper bag over Sasuke's mouth for him to breathe into. After all the work they had done to break him, there was no way he would be allowed to die that easily.

Sasuke was close to the brink. So close that in only a few more hours, he would be nothing but a lifeless vegetable. Itachi entered the room, smirked plastered wide across his face, and looked down upon Sasuke's dazed face. The boy could barely make out a blurry face in front of him.

_'Itachi...'_ Sasuke was barely conscious as his older brother uncuffed his hands and throat and carefully gathered him in his arms. Sasuke's limp arms and legs hung lazily over the sides, but he could move his head enough to bury it in Itachi's chest. He did not know where the older boy was taking him, nor did he care.

In all his time there, Sasuke had never been down that particular passage before. He heard Itachi open and shut a door and he found himself on the other side of it. Sasuke could now see clearly and had partially regained the ability to move his limbs. He was laid out on a soft bed, high off the floor. Itachi lay beside him and Sasuke snuggled close to the warmth. Itachi smirked and pushed some of Sasuke's hair behind his ear.

"Little brother..." Itachi cooed, nuzzling his cheek to Sasuke's. His hand slid up Sasuke's thigh and rested there as the other rose to tug down the boy's pants. Sasuke whimpered slightly as the smallest show of disobedience, but it did nothing to discourage the older Uchiha. Itachi lifted something from around his neck and tucked it under the mattress, returning his business quickly. The calloused hand of a ninja ran over Sasuke's scarred chest, using the index finger to trace the letter 'I' carved into his chest, marking him as his own.

**Lemon Begins Here. If This Offends you, uhm...why are you reading this? Jk Jk. Just skip to the next set of bold font. :3**

Itachi brought his lips to Sasuke's bellybutton, slowly pushing up his shirt and bringing with it a trail of moist kisses. Sasuke lifted himself up off the bed with elbows and shoulder blades, releasing a hiss through gritted teeth. A rough digit brushed past Sasuke's nipple and he sucked in a breath, not wanting to feel the kinds of things he was feeling. This man was his brother. This was _forbidden_. And perhaps...that's what made it all the more exciting to them both.

Itachi shifted his position to further up onto the bed and moved his lower half against Sasuke's rapidly hardening self, earning a low groan. The man smirked in response.

"Liked that?" Sasuke shook his head 'no', but his body pressed forward, urging his older brother forward. The latter was the one Itachi chose to obey. "I think you do...little brother." He repeated himself just to hear the words. To know that what he was doing was forbidden and yet both their bodies willed it. He put up far less resistance than originally thought and was seeming to actually enjoy what was taking place. In any other case, creating pleasure of any kind for the prisoner is not something Itachi would allow, but perhaps just this once he would let it slide. Afterall, he was doing and planned on doing all the things he'd thought about for years. And it was wanted. Itachi, too, wanted nothing more.

Warm, pink lips pressed to Sasuke's while a left hand roamed up the boy's side. No sooner than Itachi ran his tongue over Sasuke's bottom lip had the mouth parted eagerly. The slick muscle slipped inside and did most of the work, no battle for dominace required. Sasuke simply lay back and let it happen, pressing back with his own tongue now and again. Some short time after (though the exact moment it occured, Sasuke wasn't sure), the younger lost his shirt and lay sprawled under his older brother, wearing his nothingness in glory.

Two of Itachi's fingers were pried into Sasuke's mouth and after a few seconds of sucking them gently, they were removed and traveled southwards. The older male distracted his brother with a hot mouth while the wet digits rubbed rhythmically against his entrance. Sasuke moved in time with Itachi's hand and pressed forward. Itachi needed no further instruction. He inserted the two fingers slowly and he felt Sasuke's inner walls tighten for a moment before he relaxed and allowed a smooth, slow-moving pump to begin. Sasuke moved along with Itachi, still, this time drawing him further inside himself. Maintaining the rhythm, Itachi introduced a new feeling: scissor-motion.

Sasuke stiffened for another moment, but relaxed back down and allowed his brother to continue. All sensation left Sasuke for a sudden, cold moment, but returned gratefully soon after, now accompanied by a bare warmth; that of his brother. Their ivory skin ran together smoothly and Itachi pressed his tip to Sasuke's entrance. After another peck on the lips, he pressed in a few inches. Sasuke hissed sharply and clenched up, then steadied his breathing and nodded to Itachi. He added another couple of inches, pulled out slightly, and repeated the motion. The third time he did this, he had his entire self inside of his brother and felt the head of his member hit something. Sasuke cried out and jolted halfway up in that moment. He calmed and fell back onto the pillow.

Itachi smirked and did it again, receiving the same reaction. Four more taps of the 'special spot' was enough and Itachi felt Sasuke tighten again, then spew white liquid over his stomach. The sight that lay before him brought Itachi to his own climax, first pulling out so that his seed mixed together with Sasuke's on the boy's abdomen.

They both lay panting on the bed and Itachi petted Sasuke's hair down, the younger's eyes sliding closed. Sasuke drifted away into sleep just before Itachi mumbled,

"**Aishiteru, ototoyo(1)**."

**Lemon is over. You can release your breath and continue on with the story:)**

**

* * *

**

It was some time later when Itachi decided it was time to leave the room to take a shower, leaving Sasuke alone on the bed. The captive smirked and sat up. Glancing around to make sure no one was in sight, Sasuke leaned over and pulled something shiny out from under the bed and held it out in front of him. It was a key on a silver loop. He smiled just slightly.

"That...that..._sadistic fool_. This is just what I've been waiting three long years for." Sasuke quickly pulled on his excuse for a pair of pants on and limped slightly on his way out the door from the pain in his bottom, the sound of the shower still audible from the room just past another door in the room. Sasuke's ninja skills were more than what you would call rusty, but he was still able to sneak around the hallways without being seen. He had nearly made his way out and had the door in his sights, when a shadow came up from behind, washing over his thinned form. He hunkered down in the corner and waited. It was Kisame. Sasuke smirked.

_'I will more than enjoy taking out shark-boy.'_ He leapt out almost noiselessly and knocked Kisame to the ground. He sat on his chest and in the blink of an eyes performed the fire-ball jutsu. He was sure he'd made a direct hit, but 'Kisame' suddenly turned into a puddle of water and Sasuke spun around in time to catch his punch. He growled and pushed him off.

"After all this, I won't lose out to _you_!" He screamed, catching the attention of Sasori and Tobi who were making their way towards them. Sasuke growled and used sharingan, keeping his visioin on Kisame's every move, then immitating him. Sasuke threw him against the wall, stunning him long enough to scramble away from the Akatsuki members closing in on him. Sasuke picked himself up and reached into where he had pocketed the key. The Uchiha couldn't find it and more people were coming up the hall. He gasped and fumbled a moment longer before finally recovering it. His hand shaking madly, he finally got it in the hole and with a quick twist of a knob, burst into the bright sunlight. It blinded him for only for a moment. He blinked twice and ran away, still shaking madly, and released his sharingan, jumping away into the trees. When he was fairly certain they were far away, Sasuke maintained his pace, but he threw his head back and laughed in earnest.

"I did it...I really..._did it_!" he screamed, full of joy. His next step was the first thing on the list:

Visit Naruto.

* * *

**1--"I love you, little brother."

* * *

****NS: How'd ya like that? A nice little rape... well, almost. I mean, you can't rape the willing, right? Well, in any case, there WAS a lemon! and some...escapingness...yeah. So it seems Sasuke is finally free. There will be hints and junk dropped in the next chapter I want you to notice. And...yeah, that's all, I guess! R&R!**


	5. Reunion

**NS: SOOOOOO! How ya doin! Recovered from that rape by now, I hope. I didn't...write most of this recently. A lot of this was scrap and junk from the way I had it written before and not up on this handy little site. So...yeah. But I cut a lot of useless junk out of it...It was completely unneeded(word?). So yeah. I'm done talking. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sasuke came across what appeared to be the hideout of some village's ninja, and decided to take from them a pair of slim black pants and fishnet shirt with a black hood sweatshirt. In all the exitement, he hadn't noticed at first, but it was apparently winter and grew steadily colder as the sun sank beneath the horizen. He didn't put them on, however; for a bath was in order. Sasuke came to a river and stopped, deciding it was far enough away from his brother. Discarding the pants, Sasuke slipped slowly into the silky water. As it washed over him, a sharp hiss arose from his slightly parted lips. And even though it was cold, Sasuke had not had a real bath in all the three years. After a short gagging fit, he washed the combination of his and Itachi's seed. Sasuke scrubbed until his skin was red and he was finally satisfied.

With time left, Sasuke sank back in the water and closed his eyes, becoming lost in his thoughts.

_'This makes no sense. Not one Akatsuki member has come after me. Wasn't my brother informed? I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to track me down...I left a pretty sloppy trail behind me...Maybe they're letting me go? No, that's not possible. They'll come looking for me soon enough, I can feel it in my bones. And...in my wounds. Where should I go now? There's Konoha, but...that's where Itachi will look first. I don't want the village to get attacked, but where else could I go? It's been three years...there is no telling who our allies are now. And what if they won't let me back in?'_ Sasuke let out a sigh._ 'Well, that's all I have. I'll have to go back to Leaf; and hope Itachi doesn't get the same idea.'_ He took a deep breath and crawled out of the water, drying off on the pants he had taken off, choosing them as the least filthy, and then put on the other set of clothes he'd taken.

_'There's no way I'll get to Konoha tonight. I don't even know where I am.'_ Sasuke thought to himself, then leapt into a tree, nestling into the crook of a branch. He put his hood up and closed his eyes, trying to get to sleep.

Hood up and heart heavy, a black-hooded 16-year-old snuck through the gates of Konoha.

_'Wow..our security sucks...'_ Hands in his pockets and his head tilted downwards, Sasuke trudged on towards the house of the one person he needed to see. He winced inwardly as he came upon Hinata Hyuga in the street. He bumped into her and his hood fell back. She turned around and gasped. He only smiled and brought a finger to his lips.

"Shh." he said, pulling the hood back up over his head. Hinata smiled a little.

_'He's finally back.'_ She continued walking and pretended like she saw nothing, despite grinning inside. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

_'Too close...Too close...' _

The raven-haired was nearing Naruto's house and his stomach clenched with nervousness. A hand went up to hold it, then he quickly shoved it back into his pocket, not wanting to look weaker than he had become. He finally came to Naruto's front door and held his hand hovering just above the door, ready to knock. But he hesitated. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, he did it. Sasuke knocked twice. After a few moment, the door opened, reveiling Naruto's tired, hungover expression. His eyes shot open and he took a step backwards.

"S-Sasuke."

Sasuke dropped his hood and tok a step forward, taking Naruto's face in his hand. The blond stumbled further backward and nearly toppled to the floor. He would have if it weren't for Sasuke reaching forward to catch him around the waist, smiling down on him.

"Did you miss me?"

Naruto and Sasuke sat in the blond's livingroom on opposite sides of his coffee table, surrounded by empty bottles of sake. Sasuke was leaned back, falling back into the soft couch cushions with his black hood draped over the seat beside him. Naruto eyed him nervously from the loveseat. For awhile, neither of the boys spoke, only giving each other a once-over, noting how much they had both changed.

Naruto's tight black muscle shirt hugged all the right places and stopped just above his waist so that you could see a tiny peek of his stomach. Baggy black jeans fell from his hips, adorned with a few chains and zippers. A chain choker was wrapped around his neck and black silver bracelets jangled on his wrists. There was a piercing of a black and blue shuriken in his right ear lobe. His hair was longer, but still blond and spiky. Smeared black eyeliner was thick under his eyes, highlighting his crystal blue eyes all the more. Perhaps a kinder look would've been apparent in them had they not been glazed over from his hungover state.

Sasuke still only wore the clothes that he had found on the ninja. They seemed to fit him well, though the pants were a little tight, hugging him a little more than he would've liked.

Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Naruto...have you been drinking?" Naruto's blue eyes darted around the room, counting the numerous empty bottles and laughed.

"No...what in the world would give you that idea?" He laughed again. This wasn't what Sasuke had expected to come home to after three years. He growled in frustration.

"Is this what you've been doing for three years? Crawling into your house away from the world and drinking yourself into a stupor?" Sasuke yelled, standing up. Naruto growled and stood as well."And just what the hell was I supposed to do?! You just _left_ an didn't tell anyone but me! No one even knew if you would return and they all thought you had to've died! Sasuke...they had your fucking funeral last year! Your _funeral_! And I was just supposed to sit back and watch that?! NO. I DIDN'T. I stood up and I told them all that you were still alive! I knew you were, but you know what? Maybe it wasn't worth it!" His breath hitched in his throat as he hesitated with the next line. "I...I waited for you. Even when no one else would. Don't fucking come into my house and criticise me for getting rid of you the best way I could--by drinking you gone."

Sasuke was speechless. Naruto, however, continued his rant, "And, anyways, where the hell _were_ you for three FUCKING years while I fucking died inside?!" Sasuke leapt across the table and knocked Naruto back onto his couch. He pinned his wrists above his head and kept his nose inches from Naruto's.

"You wanna know where I fucking was? You _really_ wanna know? I was the Akatsuki's fucking slave. I got beat for no fucking reason every FUCKING day and I even got raped by my brother. _My. Own. Brother._ How does that sound? Yeah, but you don't see ME drowning the world away in a sake bottle!" Naruto stared hard up at Sasuke.

"But you...you had someone waiting for you. But I...didn't know if you would ever come back. I needed you, Sasuke. I still do." A pang of guilt stabbed Sasuke's heart suddenly. The Uchiha searched Naruto's eyes for some unknown emotion. When it had been located, he smiled and let up. Sasuke headed for the door, leaving Naruto shocked on the couch.

"I'm gonna go find Sakura..." He whispered as the door slid slowly shut behind him. As he closed the door, a single thought crossed his mind.

_'Naruto...I need you, too. You have no idea.'_

**

* * *

NS: How'd ya like that? A nice little rape...some escapingness...yeah. So it seems like Sasuke is finally free. There will be hints and junk dropped in the next chapter I want you to notice. And...yeah, that's all, I guess! R&R!**


	6. Plague

NS: Hm, not sure how emo this chapter will be...cause I'm listening to rock and metal and junk as I type it...oo Oh, and I fixed something from last chapter. It said that his funeral was last year. Well, it wasn't. It was two years ago. Gomen.

But Only Time Could Tell  
Series: Naruto  
Pairings: Naruto/Sasuke  
Rating: T for suggestive themes  
Warnings: Language, Yaoi-ish Content  
Summary: Sasuke was pronounced dead last year, but Naruto always knew it wasn't true. After being held by the Akatsuki for years, Sasuke finally returns, but how will that affect the way the village treats him? Yaoi narusasu written awhile ago. Dual authors.  
Start Date: 5/25/07  
Finish Date: 6/10/07  
Inspiration: 'Click Click Boom' by Saliva, 'No More Words' by Ayumi Hamasaki, lots of Gackt (Last Song and December Love Song especially!)

OMG I DON'T OWN NARUTO! ...DUH. :)

Chapter 5: Plague

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There was a gated-off community of Konoha. It was one that had not been touched in more than five years. The lights there didn't flicker on once the sun had set. Doors never opened, nor did the ones left agape ever close. A thick blanket of dust settled on all within the buildings, a coat of blood and anger covering the streets. Remnants of the night Itachi killed them all still littered the roads. Blood splatter ran in various patterns along streets and up the sides of houses. In the main house, just a ways inside was a special room; a room of prayer, of hope.

A room of death.

It was the very place where Sasuke and Itachi's parents had been killed. A deep red pool that had eventually dissapated, but otherwise remained untouched stained the hardwood floor. Heirlooms locked away in glass cases were just as they had been left. To the rest of the village, the place was a ghost town and the origin of evil. They believed spirits of the Uchiha's slain that day stayed behind, unable to rest. Therefore, none of them dared venture near. Sasuke, the only remaining of the village who would perhaps step inside, feared that his brother would be waiting within the walls.

That is exactly where Sasuke found him; within the walls.

It needn't be the walls of the Uchiha estate where he was found, but the simple fact that he had been found and even captured was more than enough to bring Sasuke's childhood fears rushing back. They resurfaced on a much greater scale and it had quite the impact.

Despite the teen's fears, Sasuke made his way past the residence on his way to fulfill his promise of going to see Sakura. A shudder ripped through him as he passed by, but it was ignored as best he could. His hand reached for his thick black hood, but touched nothing. He stopped short and patted his shoulders a moment, searching for it. He cursed himself mentally, suddenly remembering where he had left it.

That meant he would have to walk around the village without any kind of disguise or way to hide who he was. He pulled the extra lengths of raven hair down over his face as best he could and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Unsure of just where to start his search for his old teammate, Sasuke began by checking where he remembered her house to be. After two knocks, the door was answered by a woman with medium height and light pink hair. She smiled warmly at him. 

"Yes? May I help you?" Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Mrs. Haruno?"

She nodded. "That would be me."

"Is Sakura here?" She smiled and shook her head at him.

"I was sure she had told everyone...she got her own home a few weeks ago. Well, that is to say that she and Lee got their own home together."

Sasuke blinked and cocked his head to the side. "...Lee? Okay, could you tell me where they are now?" The woman nodded and gave him directions and an address a few streets down. After Sasuke left, he furrowed his brow and put the pieces together.

he pondered silently. Shortly after, he arrived at the appointed address.

It was a nice-sized house with a short white fence around the front yard. Toys and a small swimming pool were present on the lawn. A grand cherry-blossom tree towered over the home itself and two rope and wood swings hung from one side. However, the best surprise was sitting on the swings. They looked nearly identical with prominant eyebrows, vibrant green eyes, and straight, royal purple hair, the only thing seperating them was the hair's length. The first's locks were framed around his ears--looking very much like a bowl-cut. The second's length stopped just past her shoulders. Their hands grasped each other as they swung perfectly in tune. 

"Hi, there. Are your parents here?" Sasuke asked quietly. They said nothing, only stared at him for endless seconds, then skidded to a halt and ran inside the house, still holding hands. Sasuke glanced around and made a face, then followed the path leading up to the front door. It opened before he had even reached the top step. Standing in the doorway was a young woman with pink hair pulled back in a ponytail that still reached the small of her back. A light blue apron was tied loosely around her waist and vibrant green eyes shone brightly in the sunlight pooring in around her. She dropped the platter in her hands, sending two sippy cups full of juice skidding across the hardwood of the porch.

"Sasuke?!" she demanded. He nodded slowly and bent to pick up the items she had dropped. Sakura fell quickly to her knees to assist. She gathered them all in her arms and headed back inside. "Come in, Sasuke. This is...this is..._Lee_!" she screeched. A few moments later, a green blur came from around the corner.

"What is it, Saku-- Sasuke?!" Sasuke nodded again. "But...we all thought that...we were sure that--" Sasuke raised his hand to silence him.

"I aleady know. Naruto told me my funeral was held a couple of years ago." he stated with incredible calmness

"Naruto?!" Sakura screeched again. "You've been to see Naruto? How did that...work out?"

"It didn't. I don't think I'll be going back again before I leave." Sasuke whispered.

"What do you mean 'leave'? You cannnot possibly leave again! It is simply not reasonable!" Lee demanded, clenching his fists.

"I have to. They may come here looking for me and I can't put everyone in danger like that."

"Who?" Sakura asked, taking a few steps closer to Sasuke. He glanced up at her and paused a few seconds.

"...no one." He turned and headed back towards the door. "I should probably go now. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so if I don't see Kakashi before then, tell him I'm sorry. For leaving and for everything else." A warm hand rested on his shoulder; it belonged to Lee.

"If that is what you feel you must do, then go ahead." Lee nodded with a determined smile and held up his thumb. "Good luck with it!"

* * *

Wandering aimlessly around had once again brought Sasuke to the gates of the Uchiha estates. He gripped the grimy metal with thin fingers and winced at how things were. Without much effort, he broke the lock and stepped through the rusted steel. The streets before him would haunt him eternally.

Even the air around him was thick with the odor of death and deception. Dirty windows did their best to their conceal bloody rooms within. Sasuke took a shuddary breath and pressed his back to a brick wall. He brought a hand to his head and ran it through his hair. The scent of his brother still covered the streets and his body. Sasuke shivered, fearing the stench would never fade.

He glanced up suddenly, catching sight of a shadow moving in the corner of his eye. His arm dropped to his side and he narrowed his gaze.

"Who's there?" Sasuke asked in what he hoped to be a demanding voice, "This is the Uchiha estate; no one is allowed in." He sounded shakier than he would have liked. The shadow shifted again, this time on his right. "This is your last warning to get out." Something moved directly beside him, too fast for him to see and grazed his arm. Sasuke hissed and gripped it where blood was now leaking onto the ground. A low chuckled echoed all around him.

"This was once _my_ home, too..._little brother_..." it whispered. Sasuke froze. For several moments, there was no movement whatsoever. The only sound was in the brief, chilled wind blowing softly around them and Sasuke's quickening pulse, beating wildly in his chest.

Then everything seemed to happen all at once.

Itachi was behind Sasuke in a moment, one hand resting on his throat, the other on his hip. The younger's eyes shot open and he twisted out of the grip. He flipped backwards twice and fell hard on his knees as a sharp pain exploded in his abdomen. He held it, doubled over, forehead touching the ground, and cried out. Itachi shook his head slowly and made his way towards Sasuke once more.

"You will not escape me again. If you did not want to be found, you should not have come to such an obvious place." Sasuke whimpered and scrambled backwards, a futile attempt to avoid Itachi's icy fingers. The pain worsened and he collapsed in a heap of black and white on the ground.

A shadow washed over him and a foot crashed into his stomach twice before dark unconsiousness overcame him.

* * *

NS: -hides from flying sharp objects- Ack! Leave me alone! "OO"

Heh...Cliffy!!

...okay, I KNOW it's a REALLY short chapter, and I meant for there to be more content...cause there was supposed to be more time spent at Sakura's...but I dunno where it went. Anyways, I wa splanning to cut it off at that moment for two chapters, so you can't hurt me! And...to make up for the shortness is the appearence of (dun dun dun) ITACHI! WOO! Yep, he's back. What's going to happen to Sasuke now?!! OH NU! xD I'll try to give the next chapter an extra 1000 words than usual to make up for the lack of it here...

Until next time! Ja!


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